InuYasha: Eclipse
by Sonata-Time-Flare-Nocturne-Aoi
Summary: Complete! Second chances are a rare thing in life. Most times we only get one chance to do a thing right. If we succeed, our lives are usually changed for the better. If we fail, however, sometimes we pay for our failure with our lives. There are no second chances when it comes down to life or death. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Story**: InuYasha: Eclipse  
**Author**: Nocturne & Aoi  
**Written**: September 23, 2019  
**Genre**: General  
**Rating**: T  
**Disclaimer**: We do not own InuYasha, but we do own circumstance of those wrapped in both good and evil.

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**Chapter 1**

_Second chances are a rare thing in life. Most times we only get one chance to do a thing right. If we succeed, our lives are usually changed for the better. If we fail, however, sometimes we pay for our failure with our lives. There are no second chances when it comes down to life or death._

_This is usually the case. Unless someone gives you a second chance at life, at which time you can either go back and right old wrongs, or choose to not learn from the past and repeat fatal mistakes._

_The Shichinin-tai were among the lucky few who were granted a second chance, theirs granted by the self-serving demon, Naraku. With their second chance came a condition. The Shichinin-tai, a band of seven powerful mercenaries, had to agree to work for Naraku, killing off his enemies while he watched from the sidelines, completely out of danger himself. For the Shichinin-tai, killing had not only been an occupation, but an obsession, a feral need for blood to be spilled around them. They agreed to Naraku's request without complaint._

_This condition, however, was ultimately the downfall of the infamous Band of Seven. One by one, the men were picked off by Naraku's enemies, until the last of them had fallen, their mighty leader, Bankotsu. The Shichinin-tai had failed to use their second chance to their advantage._

_While second chances are a rare thing, third chances are almost impossible to have. But if the Shichinin-tai were to get a third chance, the one thing that would be foremost in their minds would be revenge. Revenge on the ones who had destroyed them and on the demon that had used them._

_**No one could have predicted that they were about to get their third chance.**_

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A light breeze wafted through the otherwise still field. Nothing but the trees and grasses moved, all manner of creatures either fast asleep or too frightened of what was in the field to dare come close. As the waning moon looked down from the heavens, a solitary figure stood in the center of the meadow. Silhouetted against the inky night, a man stood, dark eyes gleaming, looking down at the objects in his hand. Several tiny shards lay in his palm, each radiating its own light and a steady source of power.

Mumbling a few words, an incantation, and the man raised his hand and the seven tiny jewel shards floated away from him, enclosing him in a circle. Then, one by one, other shadowy figures began to appear, one to each shard. The smell of rotting flesh filled the man's nostrils, making him want to retch. If not for his demon control, he might have.

The night air felt charged with anticipation as the shards merged with each body. Slowly, each corpse was awakened, until all were standing in a ring around the demon that had resurrected them.

Silence spread through the clearing, the seven new arrivals frightening even the wind away.

The demon in the center, smiling for the first time that night, addressed the group around him, "Welcome back to you all. It seems I still have a need for you, so I have once again granted you life. You should be thankful for this chance to redeem yourself. Your last attempt to serve me, I must say, was pitiful. But this time…"

"Naraku…"

A murmur started through the circle, some of them only just realizing whom the man in front of them was.

"Yes?" Naraku turned to his right until he was facing the man who had spoken. Before him stood the youngest in the group, barely old enough to be called a man. But it wasn't his age that demanded so much respect from those around him. It was the amazing strength that lay hidden in his young body that scared even the most fearless warrior. But as Bankotsu stood with his hands clenched, rage filling his eyes, Naraku didn't even flinch.

"You expect us to be thankful to you?" Bankotsu let out a forced laugh as he struggled to control himself, "You, the demon who used us all? You only brought us back in the first place to buy yourself some time. What do you want us to do this time? Act as a human shield against InuYasha's Wind Scar?" Bankotsu closed his eyes and clenched his fists harder, fighting an inner battle, "You are the reason my men and I had to suffer through death a second time. Why should we serve you? You should be on your knees, begging for our forgiveness, pleading for us not to kill you. It wouldn't do you any good though." Bankotsu, having held out for as long as he could, lunged at Naraku with incredible speed. Raising his fist, he aimed the blow directly between Naraku's glaring red eyes.

Bankotsu smirked inwardly, sure that his strike would hit its mark with intense force. He brought his fist down, but the only contact he made was with the dirt. A small crater appeared where his fist had hit but Naraku was nowhere to be seen. Bankotsu reeled around, looking for him. Suddenly, Naraku was at his side. Before Bankotsu could dodge, Naraku sunk his claws into Bankotsu's newly restored flesh. Bankotsu recoiled, away from Naraku, but as he did Naraku tore out a large chunk of his flesh. Bankotsu landed ten feet back, eyes still trained on Naraku in case he tried to attack again. But Naraku only lowered his bloodied hand, dropping the flesh to the ground and stepping on it before he spoke.

"So, you are against me then, Bankotsu?" Bankotsu looked up from the gash in his abdomen, which stretched for about three inches just below his navel. Naraku did not wait for him to respond before he continued, "But you can't speak for everyone. Surely they can decide for themselves who they wish to serve. You're not their mother, after all."

Bankotsu's eyes flashed, his voice full of rage as he spoke, "My men can decide for themselves who they wish to trust, but I assure you that they will not betray me."

Naraku smiled again, "But how can you be so sure?"

Slightly uneasy, Bankotsu glanced around at his men. He was hopeful, but not positive they would stay by him. Naraku had betrayed them before, but here and now, he was the best choice for those who wished to further themselves. If they chose to stay with him, they would almost surely be killed and have their Shikon shards taken away. But if they were all to stick together, maybe they could overpower Naraku…

Bankotsu glanced at Jakotsu, feeling slightly reassured when he smiled coyly at him. Jakotsu may have been odd but he would always stand by him, no matter what. The others he wasn't so sure about. Looking at all their faces, he saw mixed emotions. Excitement, anger, indecision, fear and, the most troubling, hunger. And no one was more power hungry than Renkotsu. Bankotsu could almost see the gears of his brain working. Renkotsu was one of the brightest in the group and also one of the most self-serving. His first priority was always himself.

Right on cue, Renkotsu stepped forward, moving to the center of the now lopsided circle. "I no longer hold any loyalty to Bankotsu," he began, "The last time we were resurrected, he failed to redeem himself and, once again, let the Shichinin-tai down. I, for one, find it hard to put faith in him again."

"Renkotsu, you traitor!" Bankotsu snarled.

Renkotsu ignored him and stared confidently into Naraku's cold eyes, never blinking, "I choose to serve you. And I encourage my brothers to do the same." Looking around the circle, he locked eyes with each of them, until at last he was looking into Bankotsu's angry eyes. He smiled triumphantly as, one by one, the others came to stand beside him and Naraku, all of them resolutely looking anywhere but at Bankotsu. Soon, the only ones not with them were Jakotsu and Bankotsu himself.

Renkotsu looked to Jakotsu, confident he could convince the weirdo to join them. He smiled as he said, "Jakotsu, surely you are smart enough to figure out the odds. It's three to one, a suicide mission. If you remain with Bankotsu, what do you have to gain?"

Jakotsu looked unperturbed, "I have nothing to gain I suppose…" He cast a sideways glance at Bankotsu.

Renkotsu smiled to himself. Even Jakotsu was smart enough to realize that Bankotsu's ship was sinking, "Then join us. What do you have to lose?"

Jakotsu still looked slightly bored, but a small frown appeared between his brows, "It's not that I have anything to lose, but…" His voice trailed off once again.

Renkotsu was growing impatient with him. As always, Jakotsu was the last one to get the drift of things. "But what?"

"Well, it's just that, if there's one thing I hate more than women, it's traitors. And if I join you, that's exactly what I'll be. And I hate to say it Renkotsu, but…" He smiled coyly as his gaze drifted from Renkotsu to Bankotsu and back, "You aren't near as cute as Bankotsu is. So I think my best choice is to stay right where I am."

A smile came to Bankotsu's face at this small triumph. Renkotsu, feeling slightly embarrassed, said, "Fine, then you will die along with Bankotsu." Renkotsu inhaled, looking forward to frying them both to a crisp.

"I don't think their death is necessary, Renkotsu." Renkotsu stopped and turned slowly to face Naraku, who had been silent for some time now. Renkotsu glared but kept his voice calm and even.

"There is no point to keep them alive. They will serve no purpose and they would only try to betray us."

Naraku shook his head, "It will be me to decide if they shall serve a purpose and you will do as I say, whether you agree with my decision or not. You just agreed to serve under me, did you not?"

Renkotsu was not happy about being made a fool of for the second time in one night, but he did not let his displeasure show, "Yes."

Naraku ignored Renkotsu's answer and turned to Bankotsu. He smirked and said with a bit of malice in his voice, "I will handle Jakotsu and Bankotsu for now. Before I continue, there is the issue of who is to be the new leader of the Shichinin-tai. I trust you can decide that among yourselves?"

Renkotsu answered immediately, "I nominate myself to be the new leader. I am clearly the obvious choice since I have been second in command for some time."

"You were never second in command!" Bankotsu snarled at him.

Naraku ignored Bankotsu's out burst and looked at Renkotsu, his red eyes penetrating. "I have no objections to Renkotsu becoming your leader. What about you? Any complaints?" No one said a word so Naraku continued.

"No? Then I'll move on. Like I said before Bankotsu's interruption, this time you will serve a bigger purpose then last time. But you will also be receiving some assistance from me," Objections to this began to arise, the men claiming they could handle anything themselves, "I will not risk failure again, nor will I tolerate it. If you fail, then it's your own head. But with my help, failure won't be possible."

"You plan to battle along side us then?" Mukotsu asked, looking skeptical.

"No, but the help I am going to give you will be more than enough to defeat anyone, even InuYasha." A sweep of anticipation went through the men, even Jakotsu listening now. But Naraku didn't continue, didn't elaborate on what he had begun to tell them. Finally, Renkotsu spoke up.

"What help will you be giving us them? What could possibly help us to defeat InuYasha and the others?"

Naraku didn't answer for a moment; "You will see it when it is ready. As of yet, it is still under construction. But by tomorrow night when the moon does not appear," He rose his hand to point at the sliver of moon falling towards the horizon, "It will be ready for you to see. You, Renkotsu, will be the first to see it, since you are the leader. You will all see it in time and believe me, it will be worth the wait."

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**Please review, your feedback is most appreciative. More chapters are on its way.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

In a village from which Mount Fuji was visible, a group of soldiers had returned from a disappointing battle. Having been outnumbered and out of luck, many of the battalion had been injured. They had also lost close to half of their men. They were forced to retreat and regroup in the nearest, friendly village. The village women were tending to the wounded in the square.

Among the women was a visiting priestess. She had come to the village just before the soldiers arrived. Using her knowledge of healing, she had helped many of the men get back to full strength impossibly fast. It was whispered around the village that the priestess was using her spiritual powers to speed the process.

The priestess's name was Kikyo and she was indeed using her powers on the men. She had come upon the village during her travels. Helping to nurse the men was a welcome break from banishing the evil spirits that seemed to be appearing faster then she could vanquish them. She would have stayed at the village forever if she could have, but she knew her time there was quickly coming to a close. The second night, she had been woken by a troubling dream, in which an unknown enemy slaughtered the entire village. She dismissed it for the night.

But now she was feeling an ominous chill in the air. An odd feeling that something horrible was emerging. The evil vibe was coming from the far off mountains.

The feeling was at its strongest just after noon, when it felt as if the presence was passing directly overhead. Kikyo was bandaging a young soldier's arm when she recognized the familiar aura. Her hands froze as she sat stock still, a worried frown appearing on her lips. Quietly, she whispered the name that was running through her mind.

"Pardon me, priestess?"

Kikyo looked up into the face of the young man who was looking at her. He had a puzzled expression on his face. Kikyo was shocked when she realized she had spoken aloud.

"It was nothing," she said quietly. She finished with the man's bandages then left him to go find the village leader. Quickly, she told him she had an urgent matter she had to attend to. She thanked him for allowing her to stay in his village then left before leaving hastily, only stopping to retrieve her bow and quiver of arrows.

She set off down the path leading to the mountains. After a few moments, she walked into a wooded area, where long, serpentine creatures joined her. She welcomed them fondly as they slowly placed the human souls they were carrying inside her makeshift body. After all of the souls were gone, Kikyo began to walk again, west towards the mountains and the presence that had interrupted her peaceful moment.

The noon sun was high overhead. A light breeze made the cloudless day cool, sending ripples through the grassy hills. A peal of a child's laughter rang through the air. In the middle of the rippling grass, a small girl with a pigtail in her hair was standing over an imp, smiling as it lay on the ground.

"Master Jaken, you are so clumsy sometimes!" The little girl said, laughter in her voice.

The imp got to its feet, a look of indignation and anger on his face, "Rin, it is you who makes me look so clumsy! You are the one who knocked me down in the first place, silly girl!"

"I didn't knock you down, you ran into me." Rin replied, her smile still present on her round face.

"I only ran into you because you stopped so abruptly. You are… Wait, Rin!" Rin, bored of Jaken's ranting, had taken off running down the hill, arms outstretched like wings. Jaken took off after her yelling, "Rin, stop! How am I supposed to watch you if you keep running away! If Lord Sesshomaru were here…" Jaken had caught up to Rin, just as she once again stopped abruptly, causing Jaken to run into her and fall all over again.

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken pulled himself up and brushed himself off, "That's right, if Lord Sesshomaru were here he would…"

"I would do what, Jaken?" A hard voice asked.

Jaken stopped in mid brush. He tilted his little wrinkled head up until he was looking into the eyes of his liege. Sesshomaru, dressed as always in a silk kimono and battle armor, looked equally menacing and beautiful in the midst of the shimmering field, hair and robes rippling in the wind. Lord Sesshomaru was one of the most beautiful demons Jaken had ever seen, as well as the strongest. That is why Jaken felt honored to be serving him. But it was times like these that Jaken wished he could just be swallowed by a demon and put out of the misery and embarrassment the human brat, Rin, put him through.

As Jaken fumbled for words, Sesshomaru lost interest in him. He turned and started walking away, followed by his dragon beast, Aun, who was being lead by Rin, who was now humming quietly. Jaken slumped sadly, feeling under appreciated and worthless, and let the feeling wash over him until he heard Rin call for him. He looked up and saw that the others were already very far ahead. Rin had stopped to look back for him but his master, Lord Sesshomaru, either didn't notice or didn't care that he had fallen behind. Jaken ran to catch up, yelling for Sesshomaru to wait for him, but the dog demon didn't slow.

Jaken finally reached them and was out of breath from running the whole way. He leaned on his magical Staff of Heads as he struggled to catch his breath, but he didn't have a chance because the others still didn't stop and he had to hurry to keep up.

They finally came to a halt when the sun hung over the horizon, poised on the tip of the highest mountain. Rin was riding on Aun and had just let out a long yawn. Jaken himself was feeling a bit tried but he continued to lead Aun, loyally following Lord Sesshomaru until the day his legs feel off. He would probably keep following him even after that.

Sesshomaru stopped abruptly and lifted his face to the sky. Jaken couldn't help but notice how majestic he looked, the crimson rays of the falling sun illuminating him from behind. He sniffed the air for a moment, and then turned to face his comrades.

He looked to Rin, "You will camp here for the night, Rin. Jaken, you will also be staying here."

Jaken started, "W-wait! You're leaving me with her again?"

Rin just smiled sleepily, "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru ignored both their replies, "I will return by morning. Jaken, keep your guard up." Sesshomaru turned and walked away without another word of explanation. Jaken straitened up after being given a direct order.

"I will, Lord Sesshomaru. Nothing will get past me." Jaken watched Sesshomaru until he disappeared, then slowly followed after Rin, who was making a bed for the night.

'"Jaken, be on your guard."'

Sesshomaru's words made Jaken feel slightly uneasy. Sesshomaru rarely gave out warnings, and when he did, it was best to heed his words. Jaken sighed as he accepted the fact that he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

"Koga, wait up!" A pack of wolves struggled to keep up with the tornado racing ahead of them. The tornado halted a ways in front of them and it dissipated, leaving a fur-clad man in its place. The man was Koga, Prince of the Wolf demon tribe. With the two Shikon jewel shards embedded in both of his legs, he was the fastest and strongest of the tribe. He always had energy to spare and was constantly leaving the others in his dust.

Today was no exception. All day, Koga had kept the pace fast but had to stop every so often to wait for the rest to catch up. This time while he was waiting a strange feeling washed over him. Koga bristled and instinctively raised his nose to the air.

Pleasure flooded through him as he immediately caught his mate, Kagome's scent. He bunched his muscles, about to dart off towards her, when he caught another scent.

A low growl rose in his throat as he recognized Naraku's scent. It was in the opposite direction of Kagome but was much closer. Koga suffered a moment of indecision, unable to choose between defeating Naraku without interference, and seeing Kagome again. Koga finally decided to go to Kagome first and make sure the mutt hadn't done anything, and then he would go after Naraku. Koga smirked as he realized that tonight was the new moon. Even if he told InuYasha he was going to defeat Naraku on his own, InuYasha couldn't do anything about it. At least for tonight.

With that, Koga took off again, leaving the others choking in his dust.

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**Please review and keep watch for the final chapter, as this fic is updated constantly!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sun had just disappeared below the horizon, the after glow still lighting the sky. In the shelter of the trees, a diverse group of travelers were making camp for the night. Among them were a demon slayer, a monk, a human girl, a small cat-like demon, a kitsune fox, and a very grumpy half-demon with dog-like ears. As the others moved about the campsite busily, InuYasha, the half-demon, sat cross-legged on the ground, glaring at nothing in particular. He grumbled and complained whenever someone came close enough to hear him.

Finally, one of the girls, Kagome, left the food she was cooking on the fire to go sit with him. All of the others were off doing something and InuYasha had fallen quite so the two of them just sat in silence for a moment, listening to the whistle of the kettle.

Kagome looked over to InuYasha and saw that he was staring moodily at the flames, deep in thought. A soft smile lit her face as she watched him, so handsome in the firelight. After a moment, InuYasha felt her eyes on him and turned to glare at her.

"What are you smiling at?" He growled at her. Kagome was taken aback by the anger in his voice. She stiffened.

"Nothing!" She stood and moved back to the fire. InuYasha turned his back on her in a huff. Enraged, Kagome banged the pots around, sloshing hot water everywhere. She was being so careless in her fury that she spilled some of the scalding hot water onto her hand. She let out a gasp and dropped the pot, clinging to her throbbing hand. Even before she had time to react, InuYasha was at her side. He picked her up and moved her away from the fire. He placed her on a sleeping bag then lowered his head until his eyes were level with hers. The glow of the sun had disappeared but Kagome could see the concern in his face.

Tenderly, InuYasha lifted her hand to examine it. The fingers on her left hand were an angry pink and the skin on the wrist was only a little lighter. InuYasha growled and said, "You're such a klutz, Kagome." Kagome stiffened and prepared to defend herself but InuYasha cut her off. "I'll be right back. Don't move, okay?" InuYasha was up and gone before Kagome could consent. Kagome sat, clutching her hand, waiting for InuYasha to return.

He was back in less then a minute, but he looked drastically different. Gone were the dog-ears and the silver hair. InuYasha now resembled any other human, and smelled like one too. His talons had vanished, leaving long fingers and dull, stubby nails. In his hands, InuYasha was carrying a bucket of water from the stream a few minutes from their camp. He had obviously run the whole way.

He placed the bucket beside Kagome, and then went to root through her huge yellow bag.

"Hey! That's my stuff! What do you think…?" She stopped when InuYasha held up her first aid kit. She smiled, then frowned again, "How did you know where that was?"

InuYasha ignored her; dropping to his knees in front of her, "Hold out you hand." His voice was calmer then it had been all day as he silently applied refreshing water to her hand and then dried it. He put the bandages on with care, trying not to hurt her. When he was done, she flexed her fingers, wincing as her raw skin rubbed against the gauze, but feeling better then she would have if not for InuYasha. She smiled at him, causing him to blush a bit. Kagome opened her mouth to thank him but she never got a chance. One second, InuYasha was kneeling in front of her, the next thing she knew, a tornado plowed him over. The tornado halted and Koga emerged. He knelt and took Kagome's hand in his.

His eyes were full of concern as he looked from Kagome's hand to her face, "Kagome, what happened? How could that stupid mutt have been so careless as to let you be burned? I…"

"Get off!" InuYasha grumbled, his face planted against the dirt. Koga had either not noticed that he had been standing on InuYasha's head, or he had not cared. Either way, he didn't get off until InuYasha pushed him away a jumped up. InuYasha's red hiori was dirty and some of his black hair was now a dirty shade of gray.

"What the hell do you mean? It was Kagome's own fault! I didn't do anything!"

"That's exactly my point! How could you stand by and do nothing when Kagome was in danger? You aren't fit to protect my mate! I shouldn't have left her with you in the first place!"

"That's it! I'll make you eat those words, you flea bag!" InuYasha reached for the hilt of his sword, Tetseiga, but before he could draw it, a large cat demon landed in between the two bickering men. Those riding the cat demon jumped off as it shrunk down to a smaller size. It jumped into the demon slayer's arm when she called, "Kirara!"

The monk took one look at the opponents, and then let out a relieved laugh, "It's only you then, Koga? We heard InuYasha yell and were worried that something had attacked while we were away. You two just fighting over the usual stuff then?"

"Get out of my way Miroku. I'm gonna take his head off."

"I'd like to see you try, half breed!"

"You…!" InuYasha lunged at him, but Koga was too quick and jumped out of his reach. He landed beside Kagome as InuYasha did another face plant in the dirt. He held both of her hands in his protectively and looked intently into her eyes, causing her to blush, "I'm sorry Kagome, but I have to leave you with the mutt for just a little longer. Naraku's close, I can smell him. I'll defeat him and then I'll be back for you. I promise Kagome."

"See ya!" Koga waved as he ran away, another twister kicking up behind him.

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